Ulun

Ulun is the realm of the Darkstorm chronicle.

Overview
A high fantasy world setting.

Size
Ulun is a large continent, measuring approximately 6.8 million square miles in area. It has a maximum east-west extent of 5,700 miles and a north-south extent of 2,800 miles.

Government and politics
The TBD Empire was founded nearly six thousand years ago by Sarnovia Neador, the First Empress, widely recognised as one of the singularly most powerful arcanists in history. A trusted lieutenant of the Gods when they were still mortals, she was chosen by Their acclaim to rule the united land and bring peace, order, and prosperity to it.

Monarch
The emperor (or empress regnant) is the hereditary monarch of the land, and they rule with absolute power. They are a blood-born descendant of the House of Neador, also known simply as the Imperial House.

If the reigning sovereign is emperor, their spouse is known as the empress consort, and both are addressed as "Your Majesty" and referred to as "His/Her Majesty". If the reigning sovereign is empress regnant, their spouse is known as the prince consort. The sovereign is still addressed as "Your Majesty" and referred to as "Her Majesty", while the consort is addressed as "Your Imperial Highness" and referred to as "His Imperial Highness".

The Imperial household is overseen by the Lord Steward, who is responsible for overseeing the various related staff and services.

Privy Council
The advisory body of the monarch. It consists of the most senior officials who oversee the ministries of government as well as other members who are selected and appointed by the emperor, with a maximum of twenty seats. They serve to advise the monarch and do so until retirement or dismissal. The council is chaired by the Grand Secretary, who is the most senior government official in the realm and acts as one of the sovereign's two principal advisors.

Privy Secretariat
The body of clerks who function to provide clerical and administrative support to the monarch personally. They are led by the Privy Secretary, who is one of the sovereign's two principal advisors. This official is appointed by and answers only to the sovereign.

Grand Secretariat
The bureaucracy of the realm, consisting of the various officials who perform the administrative functions of the state. It is led by the Grand Secretary, who is the most senior bureaucrat in the realm and one of the sovereign's two principal advisors. The officials which lead the agencies of the Grand Secretariat answer to the Emperor via the Grand Secretary. At present, the government in the form of the Secretariat consists of the following agencies -


 * Foreign Office
 * Consul-General
 * War Office
 * Marshal of the Armies
 * Navy Office
 * Grand Admiral
 * Treasury
 * Treasurer-General
 * Tax Office
 * Auditor-General
 * Public Records Office
 * Master Archivist
 * Welfare Office
 * Chief Commissioner
 * Works Office
 * Master Engineer

Imperial Council
The unicameral parliament of the Empire with 185 seats. Each member represents a district of one of the provinces and is elected by the citizens of that district to a term of four years. During this time, the body meets once weekly but can be summoned by Imperial command should the need arise. Often, the advice and recommendations of the Council are used in the formation of proper law, and such is used by the monarch and their advisers in the consideration of same. Members of the Council are accorded various privileges during their term of service.

Imperial Life Guard
The Imperial person is protected at all times by the elite soldiers of the Imperial Life Guard. The force has a total strength of 1,250 personnel, the equivalent of an Army regiment. They primarily protect the Imperial Palace in Highspire and Beverstone Hall, the monarch's country residence. The force is led by the Lord Commander of the Life Guard, who is the most senior officer among its ranks and answers only to the sovereign.

The most select members of the Guard are the 24-member strong Shield of the Presence, which remains near to the Imperial person at all times and accompanies them when they move about.

Imperial Army
Ground defence of the realm is provided by the Imperial Army, which consists of numerous brigades stationed throughout the Empire. At present date, the army has a strength of 350,000 soldiers in 70 brigades.

Imperial Navy
The maritime forces of the realm, consisting of (at present) nine fleets stationed along the extensive coasts.

Currency
The currency of the land is the copper astral. While the coins have a coppery luster, they are not actually made of copper but an unknown metal whose identity is a closely guarded secret.

Exchanges
Consisting of stock lists, the

The Circle
A polytheistic faith that worships a circle of eight deities - four gods and four goddesses - known as the Circle Celestial, the Cedorene, or simply The Gods.

The Gods
The Gods were originally mortals who, acting under Divine guidance, worked to unite Ulun under a single banner after leading the resistance to Precursor tyranny. They were seen as exemplars of the best qualitied of mortal-kind and were rewarded for their devotion and efforts by being ascended to become the Guardian Gods of the world, appointed stewards over it by The One who withdrew the Intercessors to the Celestial Halls. The Circle made their presence known to the mortal races in an event known as the Great Rising. Appearing in the skies over Ulun as entities of brilliant, pure light, and speaking in a voice all could hear, they proclaimed a new beginning for the world. Naming their most trusted and loyal servant Sarnovia Galarno as the leader of the new, united realm, she rose to become the first Empress of Ulun, and her line continues to rule to modern day.

Shortly after They ascended, a constellation of eight bright stars appeared in the northern sky. It is said this is where the Celestial Halls, the Realm of the Gods, is located. In the following years, a series of prophets came to the peoples of the world to teach them the new faith and to offer guidance as the young races established themselves more firmly and further explored and settled the vast land. The Circle Celestial watches over and protects the world, transcendent from it and never appearing within it, and rarely intervening directly, preferring to work their will through intermediaries.

The deities of the Circle Celestial include:


 * The god of law and governance, patron of monarchs, lords, arbiters and other leaders, people pray to him on matters of justice, equity, leadership, authority, and government.
 * The god of knowledge and progress, patron of scholars, librarians, archivists, engineers and tinkers, people pray to him on matters of scholarship, exploration, development, and study.
 * The goddess of language and commerce, patron of writers and scribes, diplomats, tradesmen, shopkeepers and merchants, people pray to her on matters of prosperity and good fortune, fair business, travel, and news/messages.
 * The god of valour and service, patron of soldiers and sailors, peacekeepers and constables, people pray to him on matters of bravery and discipline, service and duty, hard work and war.
 * The goddess of hearth and deliverance, patron of home and family, children, the elderly, healers, midwives, and charity, people pray to her on matters of health and sickness, family well-being, safe home, and peace.
 * The god of labour and accord, patron of workers and craftsmen, artists and sculptors, musicians and actors, people pray to him on matters of inspiration and great projects, happiness of the community and cooperation among peoples.
 * The goddess of divinations and memories, recorder of the history of Creation. People pray to her on matters of outcomes of troubles and issues, preservation of the memories of family and history.
 * The goddess of fate and change, weaver of the threads of mortals' fates, who watches over them and "winds them up" when their time is done, bringing the deceased soul before the Gods for judgment. Patron of morticians and gravediggers, comforter of those grieving.

The supreme being who raised the Circle Celestial to godhood, known only as The One, dwells within the Celestial Halls alongside the Circle Celestial, but unlike Them, is unknown to the mortal races. Since the fall of the Precursors, Their existence has faded from mortal memory according to Their will.

Upon death, the Gods weigh each soul and judge it in accordance with its life and deeds. The good and kind, those who showed mercy to the weak and compassion to the less fortunate are taken to the paradise of the Timeless Groves which surround the Celestial Halls, where they dwell for eternity near to the Gods Themselves. The cruel and wicked, those who lived lives of depravity and were harsh and selfish are taken to the Ashen Wastes, a cold, lonely and miserable purgatory where they dwell forever cut off from the light of the Gods.

While mortal minds cannot fully comprehend the glory and power of the Gods, the situation is infinitely more pronounced when contemplating The One. It would be too much for the limited human mind to bear. To gaze into the face of eternity, even for a millisecond, would overload all the senses and destroy the feeble minds so exposed. We are but specks of dust in this unimaginably large universe. Just imagine how much greater the one who created it must be!

No mortal can view the excelling splendor of the Gods without being utterly overwhelmed. The glory of The One puts the pride of mortals to shame: “Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of The One and the glory of Their majesty. The lofty looks of mortals shall be humbled, the haughtiness of mortals shall be bowed down, and The One alone shall be exalted in that day.”

Church Imperial
The organisation through which the faith of the Circle is spread and maintained across the realm. It was established near-simultaneously with the Empire of which it is now an inseparable part. The Church maintains its seat in the Basilica of Tranquil Repose in the Standon Gardens district of the Imperial City of Highspire.

The clergy of the Church are known collectively as the Clerus. The leader of the Church is the Curate, who leads with considerable power but is assisted by the Synod, a body of the most senior clerics of the entire organisation. They are addressed as "Your Eminence". Prelates are those clergy who lead the great chapels of the cities and the chapels of the towns and villages. They are addressed as "Your Reverence".

Holidays
The people of Ulun celebrate various holidays throughout the year. Among them are New Years, the Festival of Flowers, Midsummer, the Festival of Lanterns, the Witches Festival, and Winterfest.

Organisations
There are various organisations in Ulun which fulfill a variety of functions or provide a wide range of services. These include the Guild of Arcanists and the Golden Crest Company.

Astrachaeus
Also known as the Mountain of the Stars and the Mountain of the Gods, this peak is the highest point in all of Ulun.

Ioturona
The largest (known) Precursor ruin, believed to have been their capital, located four weeks ride west of Highspire.

Howling Well
Once known as the Well of Silence, it was the third-largest great mana well in the world until its destruction. Its loss affected all magic in the area, and arcanists are cautioned to be careful casting spells in the area, as they can backfire dangerously. The well sometimes generates arcane storms which increase this risk.

Sea Gate
A pair of towers topped by ancient statues - four total, two back-to-back one each tower, one pair facing east, the other pair west - standing on opposite sides of the eastern mouth of the Innegar Channel. One tower is on the mainland and the other on Senja Island. While of Precursor origin, their purpose remains unknown.

Singing Shore
A portion of the Golden Coast where great standing stones, each with numerous holes in their upper halves, play a gentle, flute-like song when the winds blow a certain way.

Imperials

 * Juliora, Empress
 * played by Helen Mirren
 * Hillan of Beverstone, Prince Imperial
 * played by Josh Dallas
 * older brother of Rhodan
 * Rhodan of Waydon, Prince Imperial
 * played by Tom Hopper
 * younger brother of Hillan

Officials

 * Polbier Lord Levri, Privy Secretary
 * played by
 * Kethris Lord Halded, Lord Steward
 * played by
 * Lenseph Lord Demose, Grand Secretary
 * played by Charles Dance or Sir Patrick Stewart
 * Rhalad Lord Stuvzumro, Foreign Secretary
 * played by
 * Orilana Lady Thel-Zohef, Treasurer-General
 * played by
 * Eller Lord Rosewarne, High Justiciar
 * played by
 * Damveda Lady Totrelmi, War Secretary
 * played by
 * Stemeth Lord Cannei, Auditor-General
 * played by TBD
 * So Lord Andso, Works Secretary
 * played by TBD
 * Dame Jespara Telmavi, Admiral
 * played by
 * Sir Raldec Hithern, Lord General
 * played by
 * Sir Thechem Baldrizek, Knight of the Scarlet Banner
 * played by Eddie Guinn
 * Hee Mirthbasher
 * played by TBD
 * Dercien Rodel, Knight of the Silver Circle, Principal Secretary to the Empress
 * played by Alex Lord
 * Dame Iliene Dreilo, Director of the Bureau of Statistics
 * played by Imelda Staunton

Historical

 * Sarovia Galarno, Founder of the Empire, first Empress
 * played by Tilda Swinton
 * Orngild Luros-Galarno, Prince-Consort, husband of Sarovia
 * played by Tobias Menzies

Conditions

 * The Foulness
 * Black Fog
 * Plague